The Grey God

"And then they're loose in the world while you recover. You need monitoring equipment, preferably something they can't sense so you know what you're getting into before you show up with guns blazing."

Darian watched her. Jenn found a stick and carefully returned to the portal, tapping the ground to find where it was solid. She drew a line in the sand around the portal. It was a rough circle about four feet in diameter. Her assessing gaze took in the surrounding area.

"This'll work. Can I borrow your cell?" she asked.

"Where's yours?"

"Xander crushed it."

"You couldn't call for help even if you needed it," he said, frowning. He handed her his phone.

"I believe that was his intent," she said, unfazed.

Darian didn't say what he wanted to, that she was as big of a fool as he was. Jenn stepped away to make a phone call, and he circled the portal. He wanted to see what was on the other side, even if it brought up memories he wanted to forget. Maybe, just maybe, he'd get some closure, if he could return to where everything went wrong.

"They'll send a team down," Jenn said, returning to his side. "You said there's another for Watchers?"

"Yeah. In a cave."

"We can send someone to assess what we can do there, too."

"This is good. We set up sensors and shit, and I can then go hunt down and kill those who are here. I'm not telling anyone where the portals are, though. No telling what Jonny would try to do if he knew."

"Smart. He's lost right now, like …" She stopped herself.

"Like I was," Darian said firmly.

Jenn turned the assessing gaze on him again then flashed a smile. "Sure, hon," she said, clearly disbelieving.

"You, too," Darian complained. "What will it take for me to convince you?"

"No need. I know you've changed. I've watched you turn into you. I've watched Jonny turn into the Black God."

He sensed there was more. "And … what?"

"I don't know. Gods know I've done stupid shit in my life and seen people from all walks of life. Call me naïve, but I spent most of my life around bad people who deserved what came to them. I don't like seeing good people become unsalvageable," she said with a shrug.

"You think I'm unsalvageable?"